


Carlos was never surprised

by Saltylocks



Series: Carlos the scientist [15]
Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Domestic Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hallucinations, M/M, Sleep Deprivation, mentions of Tentacles, mentions of eggpreg, mentions of mpreg, tentacle baby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-11
Updated: 2014-08-11
Packaged: 2018-02-12 17:28:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2118537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saltylocks/pseuds/Saltylocks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The family soliders on as Skyler grows and Carlos and Cecil worries about the Secret Police. Some angst and fluff.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Carlos was never surprised

**Author's Note:**

> To compensate for not writing so much during the summer, I thought I'd post this chapter too, pretty soon after the other. Just want to get the story going again, I guess. Lot's of baby schmoop.
> 
> And if you'd like to beta-read, I'd be very happy, if just to point out every damn mistake my Swedish ass do. Spell-check does unfortunately not cover everything/anything.
> 
> Anyway,
> 
> thanks!

Neither of them got much sleep after Skyler had hatched. They were never sleeping at the same time, and if Carlos thought Cecil had looked haggard when he'd been expecting, it was nothing compared to now. He guessed he wasn't looking better either, unshaven and narrow eyes. He and Cecil rarely spoke of it, but they were terrified. One of them slept when the baby slept, and the other stood guard, every night. If the Secret Police came back for Skye... Carlos wouldn't speak the words out loud, and he knew Cecil was just as scared.

Remembering those months afterwards, he never realized how they kept from accidentally burning the house down, or causing permanent water damage from leaving the tap on, or electrocuting themselves. They ate lots of yogurt, because it was almost all that Cecil thought of to buy on his way back from the station every day. Carlos hadn't shaved since Skyler hatched, too focused on staying awake and protect their little one.

But being awake didn't mean they couldn't have some family moments together. Skyler slept a lot, and could crawl around after just a couple of days. The bundle had a high voice and made it even higher when hungry or sad. The middle of the small body, they soon found out, was where to place the diaper, and after they figured that out, the rest was child's play. They fed Skye baby formula (any mouth would suffice), watched the bundle yawn and go to sleep, played rock, paper scissors for the first guard and then either fell asleep immediately or went to get some coffee. Sometimes Carlos let Cecil win, and sometimes Cecil just shook his head and motioned towards the bed. Carlos didn't argue.

The scientist got to see sides to himself he'd never seen before. He'd always been a man of reason, logic, sense. After a few weeks without continuous sleep, all of that went out the window. Carlos became twitchy, slow, and started to hallucinate. Most of the time, he'd know when what he saw was a dream, but sometimes, he had to ask. In Night Vale, anything could be real, but he was pretty sure it was just his own sleep deprivations. When he asked Cecil about whether Paris Hilton was really standing in their kitchen, staring awkwardly at him, his boyfriend just burst out giggling.

“If she was, what would you do?” he mused when Carlos just gave him a dull look. 

“I dunnu,” Carlos slurred. “Ask her why she's staring, I suppose.”

“Go to bed Carlos,” Cecil said and downed another gulp of coffee. “Sleep.”

Carlos nodded solemnly, and turned to leave. Then he thought of something.

“Do you think they will come?” he asked, softly. “For Skye?”

Cecil looked up at him, suddenly serious. Carlos saw his own worst fears reflected in Cecil's wide white eyes. 

“I don't know,” the white haired man said, and sighed. “It's been several months. And they aren't cunning. If they wanted something from us they would have taken it. If they said, “oh, hey, missed one!” they would just have come for her.”

“So...” Carlos tried, too tired to form thoughts, leaning against the doorway, “it's safe?” 

“Well,” Cecil pondered, “nothing is ever safe here. But I think we could say that this particular fear might be time to let go of.”

Carlos nodded. Yes. It would be nice to let go and not be on guard all the time. Sleep at the same time, the right time, in a bed, together with Cecil.

“If it's safe, will you join me in bed?” he said, not able to hide the hopeful tone in his voice.

Cecil hesitated for only a moment, before sliding off the chair and reaching out a hand for Carlos. 

“I'd like that, Mr Scientist.”

^^^^

Waking up the following morning, Carlos felt like a brand new man. Sleeping beside him was Cecil and the baby, a sloppy mess of limbs and tentacles, tightly wrapped around Carlos. When Carlos moved to get up, Skyler opened its eyes and looked up on him. He smiled and whispered to not wake Cecil up.

“You hungry, Skye? Come on, let's make daddy some breakfast.”

He slowly released the bundle from Cecil and took it in his arms. Skyler seemed to know what was up and didn't wail when letting go of Cecil. The white haired man mumbled something and Carlos kissed his head to let him know everything was okay. Cecil smiled in his sleep and turned on his side. Carlos and Skyler made their way down to the kitchen, where Carlos made some oatmeal and poured some orange juice. They had made a provisional swing for Skyler that the bundle now hanged in, as it had become very skilled at sticking to things with the many mouths. Since hatched, it had grown a bunch of new tentacles and almost doubled in size. The eyes held an curious intelligence and the mouths made sounds of all kinds, giggled when tickled and wailed when hungry. In all sense, a normal baby, and at the same time, not normal at all. 

Carlos turned his back on Skyler for a moment to warm some baby formula. Skyler was making talking noises, as the bundle did when it was happy. When he looked up, about three minutes later, something was distinctly different about the baby.

Instead of tentacles, the right side of the body was turning into a little brown arm with tiny fingers. A deep look of concentration was over the baby's stance, and as soon as it noticed Carlos looking at it, the bundle got back to what it was doing before, clapping the tentacles and giggling. Carlos looked at the baby for a while, and smiled. He had thought he was hallucinating again, but it seemed quite real, and he hoped it would do it again, but nothing happened.

“It would be a good thing for you to know,” Carlos said, looking at the baby, “and I would certainly feel more hopeful about your chances in the world if you could change shape.”

Skyler seemed to be listening, all the starry eyes were pointed directly at him. Then came another shrill giggle and Carlos smiled and put the bundle on his shoulder. The baby had sat there before, like a parrot of a pirate, and he wasn't afraid it would fall as it carefully wrapped the tentacles softly around his arms and head. They walked up like that and Carlos placed the breakfast tray on the night stand. Cecil looked a little strained and Carlos thought it might be a good idea to wake him before he had a night mare. 

“Cecil, honey, I made some breakfast,” he said in a soft voice that was followed by a shrill sound from the many mouths wrapped around his head. 

Cecil woke up with a gasp and looked around in the tiny bedroom. He was breathing hard and seemed to have trouble focusing.

“Cecil?”

Cecil turned his head and saw the two sitting on the bed. 

“Carlos...” he said and stared at his scientist. “I had a horrible dream, quite awful and... Hi Skye, what are you doing up there?” 

Cecil tickled the baby into a blubber, and then lifted it off Carlos to cradle the bundle and kiss it several times. Carlos could see he was still upset from whatever happened in the dream. 

“What was it about?” he asked as he offered Cecil some oatmeal. 

“You know,” Cecil said and cleared his throat, “the usual. You guys are... gone, the Secret Police are everywhere and Pamela Winchell stands over me and says it's for my own good.”

He swallowed a gasp, gripped Skyler harder and looked down at the baby with a frown.

“I almost believe her, you know,” he whispered, “the Mayor. I know I shouldn't let it get to me and all, I just, I can't believe this is happening, and that I got you, and Skyler. I wake up, and this feels more like a dream than the dream.”

Carlos wanted to say “I know how you feel” but he knew it would come out wrong. He didn't know. His previous life felt far away, almost like one long stretch of time leading up to this moment. Carlos had never felt more alive than now, in Night Vale, with Cecil. Never more satisfied, even when sleep deprived. Never happier.

“Is there anything I can do?” he said instead and touched Cecil's knee. 

Cecil shook his head. Carlos looked at him. Really looked. Here, on the bed, was his boyfriend. Half human, half something else, an ancient being and a new father, all curled up and miserable for something he dreamt, and in need of Carlos and his love in order for him to be happy. How could Carlos not love this, all of this, and how was it possible for his heart to stay in his chest?

“I wish I could make you feel what I feel when I look at you,” Carlos said with a voice full of emotion. “Then you would never listen to her in the dream.”

He kissed Cecil chastely, because of the baby, but Cecil sucked in his lower lip and made the kiss last way longer than Carlos had planned. The scientist noticed a familiar warmth in his stomach and felt his cheeks redden. As he leaned in, he felt Cecil chuckle. 

“I feel better already,” he hummed into Carlos mouth, and Carlos dimly wondered who exactly needed the other more.

**Author's Note:**

> If you like this, please leave a comment or a kudos<3 That would be cool of you.
> 
> Comments is the air I breathe, and everything turns a warmer color (If you have watched "A single man" with Colin Firth, you know what I mean. It's like that).


End file.
